Licensed to control

Game wardens v. bird hunters

Anti-poaching camp Brescia: italian WWF game warden with two seized Golden EaglesItalian nature conservation and wildlife protection organisations are permitted to appoint selected members as state game wardens. The most important qualifications for obtaining a game warden licence, in addition to passing the relevant examination, are the possession of Italian citizenship and a clean police record. The tasks of the game wardens include:

• checking of hunting licences and other necessary papers and permits

• monitoring of the number and species of animals and birds killed

• checking of weapons and ammunition

• confiscation of hunting bags, weapons and ammunition in the case of breaches of regulations or criminal acts

• confiscation of traps, nets and other forbidden equipment

• issue of written warnings, cautions or fines for illegal acts or minor violation

Their tasks specifically exclude making arrests, conducting searches of private property or traffic controls. Consequently the game wardens work in close cooperation with the different police organisations, in particular the forest police.

Italian game wardens with seized live decoysCABS finances in part the operations of the WWF game wardens in the mountains of Brescia province (in autumn) and on Ischia (in spring).Members of our partner organisation LAC are active as game wardens in above all Brescia (Northern Italy) and the Mediterranean island of Ponza (Central Italy), Our bird protection camp on the small island of Procida (Southern Italy) is operated by game wardens from LIPU Naples.

The game wardens in Italy achieve remarkable results. In the course of a single year they run checks on up to 500 hunters, collect thousands of traps and nets, confiscate dozens of hunting weapons, and on average more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition snares. As a rule they impose fines to the tune of between 30,000 and 50,000 Euros – which of course benefits the state budget.